A LETTER that sheds light on one of Titanic's greatest controversies is expected to fetch up to £80,000 after it was put up for sale at auction in London.
In it, Mabel Francatelli describes the harrowing events as the liner sank off the coast of Newfoundland on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in April 1912.
She describes how as the secretary of the wife of Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon she survived the sinking.
Miss Francatelli tells how she and her mistress clung to Sir Cosmo, refusing to climb into a lifeboat without him - suggesting that he was forced to take a seat to save their lives.
She also says that as there were no other women on deck the ship's officer was happy to let Sir Cosmo join them.
Until now Sir Cosmo has been described as being selfish for escaping in a lifeboat with just his wife and her secretary in a boat that could have held 28 more passengers.
The letter also reveals that Sir Cosmo's £5 payment to the lifeboat crew was an act of charity, not bribery.
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